


Third Time's The Charm

by obs3ss1ons



Category: Station 19 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Engagement, Established Relationship, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-26 10:12:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19003687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obs3ss1ons/pseuds/obs3ss1ons
Summary: Vic and Lucas are engaged before she finds out she'll be the third Mrs. Ripley. She jumps to logical conclusions in the way only Vic can.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been sitting on this with all but the last chapter finished since before the Crossover. Clearly it ignores everything from that point on.

Something was up with Travis. He wasn’t talking much, and he rarely smiled. Vic knew she should give him some space and be patient. But after sitting through dinner without his usual witty remarks, she couldn’t wait any longer. She followed him out of the beanery, grabbed his arm, and dragged him into the turnout room.

“Okay, what is it?” she demanded.

He didn’t meet her eyes. “What is what?”

“What’s up with you?” she tried again. “Something’s bothering you, and you’re not acting like the Travis I know and love.”

Sighing, he finally met her gaze. Sorrow filled his. He slowly shook his head as he told her, “I don’t know how to say it without you getting mad at me. Again.”

Vic was taken aback. “You can tell me anything, Trav. You know that.”

“Seriously, Vic. You’re going to hate me.”

“I could never hate you.”

He turned away from her. Vic waited. She was beginning to get worried about whatever it was he didn’t want to tell her. But finally he faced her again and said, “I don’t think you should marry Ripley.”

Well, that’s not what she expected. “We already talked about this, Travis. Ripley and I both agreed it’s not too soon. It’s what we really want. We don’t need to wait.”

“I mean ever,” he clarified.

“What? Why?” she asked, unsure how to feel about the conversation. “I thought you like him.”

He placed his hands on his hips. “I do. I just think…maybe…he’s not the right guy for you.”

Vic stared at her best friend. They supported each other no matter what. Let each other make mistakes and then helped them move on. But there had to be a reason Travis would try to stop her from marrying the man she loves. Especially since he’d been on board with the relationship from the moment he found out it existed.

She forced herself to voice the concern clouding her mind. “What are you not telling me? Did you find something out I don’t know?”

The look Travis gave her answered her question. She grabbed onto the nearest cage to help keep herself upright. Another minute passed before he told her quietly, “He’s been married before, Vic.”

She breathed a little easier. “So what? Lots of people marry more than once. I’m not going to hold one mistake against him.”

“Twice,” Travis added. “He’s been married twice. And apparently neither lasted more than a year.”

Her lungs stopped working. Her heart tried to as well, but it only skipped a couple beats. “How did you – who told you that?”

“Sullivan.”

“Why would he say that to you?”

A guilty expression covered his features. “He didn’t. I overheard him talking to Ripley about it last shift. He said something about making sure it lasts long enough to count this time.”

Vic’s grip on the cage tightened as her knees buckled. She shook her head over and over. “You must have heard wrong. Or maybe he wasn’t talking to Ripley. Did you see them?”

Travis nodded. “They were in Sullivan’s office, but they didn’t bother to close the door. I’m so sorry, Vic.”

Her eyes burned. It couldn’t be true. Was she just another woman in a line of exes? Did he make it a habit to jump into marriage? Did he love any of them? Did he love her? Her chest ached. Tears pooled in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

She straightened her back and wiped away the unshed tears. “Thank you, Trav. For telling me.”

“Are you okay?” he inquired quietly.

Vic nodded. “Yep. I’m perfectly fine.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Okay, fine. I will be,” she corrected.

“What are you going to do?”

She sighed. “I have no idea. I need time to think. Can I stay at your place for a few days?”

He slid an arm around her shoulders. “Of course. My home is always open to you.”

“Thanks.”

As she opened the door, he asked, “So, to be clear, you’re not mad at me, right?”

She forced a smile in his direction. “No, Travis. You’re not the one I’m mad at. This time.”

He chuckled as she walked out with him right behind her. She stopped so suddenly he ran into her back. Lucas stood a few feet away, smiling at her the way he always had. Except this time Vic had to wonder if it meant he was actually happy to see her.

“Hey, I was just coming to find you. I had to drop something off for Sullivan and thought I’d say a quick hello,” he told her.

Not trusting herself to not start a fight right there in the station, Vic clamped her lips shut and brushed past him. She heard Travis greet him with a brusque, “Chief.”

And then she felt her best friend right beside her a split second later. Vic sent Travis a brief look of thanks but didn’t let herself glance behind them. She could hear Lucas calling after her, but he didn’t follow. Vic hurried toward the barn, where she broke down as soon as the door shut.

Travis’s arms encircled her. She buried her face against his chest and finally let the tears flow. Of course something like this had to happen. She couldn’t just get her happy ever after. Especially not with Lucas, the one person she never should have even thought about. Yet she’d fallen in love with him. She’d proposed to him. And she wasn’t even sure anymore that he felt the same.


	2. Chapter 2

Whatever just happened both confused and worried Lucas. He didn’t like Vic being upset with him, but he knew they could work through it. Except apparently her best friend was upset with him, too. Montgomery had never been so abrupt with him, even before he and Vic started dating.

He immediately took out his phone and sent Vic a text asking if everything was okay. When she didn’t respond right away, he sent another asking if she was mad at him. He made it out to his SUV with no replies. Because he was on duty, he had to go on to other various stations. But he kept trying to text Vic, hoping for something from her.

Finally finished with his tasks of the day, Lucas let his PA know he was signing off. He started to go to Vic’s, but then he remembered he had an early meeting the next morning and wouldn’t get to see her anyway. So he went to his own house, where he’d been spending less and less time.

The place felt hollow, lonely. It was modest with three bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen, laundry room, den, and family room. He’d bought it with Eva when they got married. She was nice enough to let him keep it when she left. Yet it still held memories he’d rather forget.

And he’d tried. During the last sixteen years, he hadn’t stayed completely celibate. He just never let it go past one or two nights. Until Vic. Something kept him from bringing Vic home. They always went to her apartment. She never asked about his home, of course. He assumed she was more comfortable at her own.

Maybe that was it in the beginning. He wanted her to feel comfortable, in control. Not that she had a problem with that. It was one of the first things he noticed about her. It was also how she managed to convince him to break policy simply by asking him. He didn’t even bother trying to stop what he knew would happen.

They spent all of their time together at her apartment at first. Months passed before they ventured to a diner nowhere near any of the stations he oversaw. By then, he’d become comfortable being at her apartment. So his house was just never brought up.

It needed to be. Before the wedding. Did he want to share the house with Vic that he bought with Eva? Just the thought had him cringing. So, he needed to sell it. Then they could buy one of their own. Or just live in her apartment. It was big enough for the two of them.

But what about in the future? If they had kids, they’d need more than one bedroom. Did Vic want kids? Did he? He’d never truly thought about it before. Seeing her holding the safe surrender baby had jarred him. It looked natural. But he wasn’t going to force it on her if she didn’t want it. They would have to discuss it at some point.

If she would even talk to him. He took out his phone. Still no replies from her. So he tried calling her. When her voicemail picked up, he sighed. “Hey, Vic, I’ve been trying to catch you for a while now. Not sure if I did something wrong, again, or what’s going on. Just, talk to me. Let me know you’re okay. That we’re okay.”

He ended the call as he fell onto the bed he didn’t even think of as his anymore. Nothing felt right without Vic sharing it. And that scared him. He felt more for her than his first two wives combined. Sully had been right. He really hoped it worked out for him this time. He didn’t think he could move on if he lost her.

That depressing thought had him calling Vic’s phone again, though he’d given up expecting an answer. Her voicemail kicked on, and he spewed out, “I just want you to know that I love you. Whatever happens or has happened, I need you to know that. I hope to see you soon. Or at least talk to you. Call me back, please. I miss you.”

Lucas tossed his phone onto the nightstand. He lay across the bed on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Technically he had a meeting the next morning at the same time Vic got off shift. But he’d scheduled the meeting. He grabbed his phone and sent an email to his PA to postpone. Then he left the house that no longer felt like home and went to Vic’s.


	3. Chapter 3

Seven missed calls, three voicemails, and a dozen texts waited for Vic by the time she checked her phone the next morning. All from Lucas. She locked her screen without reading any of them. Sure, she knew she was being unfair. But above the anger and sadness, she felt betrayed.

She could overlook Lucas being married before. She could even handle knowing that he’d married twice before her. But the fact that he hadn’t been the one to tell her hurt. That neither lasted more than a year scared her. She’d never thought about marriage before Lucas. And she did not want to be just another name on a list of Mrs. Ripley’s.

The next shift arrived, so Vic changed her clothes and headed out. Travis met her at the door. “You still planning to come to my house for a while?”

“I just need to go pack a few things first,” she replied.

“Do you want me to come with you? Just in case he’s there?”

Vic shook her head. “He works today. I’ll be fine.”

Travis nodded, gave her a side hug, and headed toward his own car. Vic focused on what she wanted to do that day as she drove home. Take a nap, maybe go out for lunch. She was supposed to meet the girls for manicures in the afternoon. Surely she could keep herself so busy she wouldn’t have time to think about Lucas or their future.

As soon as she entered her apartment, though, her plans for the day changed. Lucas stood leaning against the kitchen doorway, a coffee mug in his hand. He looked tired, worn. Sad. He watched her but didn’t say anything. 

Vic set her things down and moved toward the bedroom. Maybe she should’ve brought Travis along. He could keep Lucas occupied while she packed. Or maybe Lucas would just leave her alone. Maybe he wouldn’t try to stop her. But no, that wasn’t how things worked for them.

He spoke from the bedroom doorway just as she placed her overnight bag on the bed. “Are you going on a last minute trip?”

Vic paused. Then she crammed a stack of t-shirts into the bag. “I’m staying with Travis for a few days.”

“Is he all right?” Lucas asked, concern entering his voice.

“He’s fine,” she admitted. It would’ve been easier if she could use an injury or illness as an excuse. But she couldn’t bring herself to lie to him.

Apparently he’d moved closer, because he asked from directly behind her, “Did I do something wrong?”

Her energy left her. She pressed her fists into the comforter, barely able to keep herself upright. Surprisingly she kept her voice calm as she responded, “What makes you ask that?”

“Because it looks like you’re leaving me,” he told her. Vic’s chest clenched at the anguish in his words. She stayed still, unwilling to even glance his way. If she did, she knew she’d give in and stay. But then his voice turned angry. “Of course this is happening again. It always happens. I don’t know why I thought this time was any different.”

His sudden rant proved Travis right. She really was just one in a line of exes. At least she hadn’t made the mistake of committing to him. Yet. Her best friend had saved her from that. Anger burned inside her. She found the courage to face him. “So it’s true, then. You’ve done this before?”

He stepped back. “Done what before? I don’t even know what I did!”

Vic crossed her arms. “Travis found out the truth about your…habits. He doesn’t keep secrets from me.”

“I haven’t kept anything from you,” Lucas argued.

“Two ex-wives is a pretty big thing to keep from me.”

His eyes widened. He audibly gasped. “That’s what this is about? You’re leaving me because of my past?”

Vic shook her head in disbelief. “I refuse to play whatever game you seem to have going. What, are you just trying to see how many women you can get to fall for you? Has it only been two so far? Or is that just all that Sullivan knows about?”

Pain flashed in his eyes. He stared into her gaze. Vic waited for him to speak. To either confirm or deny her accusations. But he surprised her by doing neither. Instead, he turned and walked away. Moments later, Vic heard the front door click shut. She collapsed onto the bed.

Her heart hurt worse than she’d ever thought possible. He didn’t deny any of it. Not the ex-wives. Not the games. Not her being just another pawn. He didn’t try to fight for her. For them. He didn’t even pretend to still love her.


	4. Chapter 4

It was happening again. He let himself fall in love – not that he was really given a choice – and he ended up being left behind. His heart couldn’t take any more of this. Plus this time he couldn’t blame it on his job. That didn’t even factor into it. No, he was being abandoned because two other women had done the same damn thing.

Lucas drove to HQ without paying much attention to his surroundings. All he could see was the image of Vic packing her bag and telling him she was leaving. Though technically he said the words aloud. But it didn’t matter. He was still losing the one woman he didn’t think he could ever live without.

At HQ, he parked haphazardly and tried not to storm inside. His PA startled when he walked by and followed him into his office. “I thought you were coming in late today, Sir.”

“My plans changed,” he growled out. At the shocked look on the woman’s face, he forced himself to calm down a bit. “Sorry. I had a rough morning. I’ll work on some paperwork until my next meeting. It would be best if I not be disturbed for the time being.”

“Yes, Sir,” she nodded once and hurried out, shutting the door behind her. Lucas fell into his chair with a huff. He needed a distraction, but all he could think about was his fight with Vic. He hadn’t even done anything wrong, and yet she was leaving.

Maybe it was time he accepted that he wasn’t meant to have a forever love. What was that saying? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. What did it mean if it happened a third time? Lucas covered his face with his hands and let out a low groan. He needed to distract himself until he could think clearly again.

His cell buzzed. His mind automatically thought it would be from Vic. But her name didn’t show up on the screen. She still hadn’t replied to any of his messages. After that morning, he couldn’t really expect her to.

The message he did receive was from Sully, asking if they were still on for beers that night. Lucas started to tell him that, yes, they were so he could drink away his broken heart. But Sully would probably try to talk him into fixing his relationship with Vic. He didn’t think he could handle any more rejection. Especially from her.

So he sent back, “Can’t tonight. Maybe another night.”

Sully’s response was instant. “What about tomorrow?”

Lucas sighed. He didn’t want to lose the friendship he’d gained back with Sully. So he replied with a noncommittal, “Maybe.”

Then he did what he did best. He threw himself into his work. By the time his PA reminded him of his midmorning budget meeting, Lucas had signed off on eight incident reports and approved three time off requests. He’d also finalized the details of that year’s Independence Day firework show and emailed it to the mayor’s office.

He was actually able to force a smile onto his lips as he greeted everybody at the meeting. And he stayed focused through most of it. Until one of the committee members asked, “How are we coming on finding money for Nineteen’s budget?”

“Do they have anything left?” someone else commented.

“The new aid car took a pretty big chunk. And the repairs from the RV crash just about finished them off,” a third member pointed out.

“It’s going to be difficult to stay under budget for them without cutting costs somewhere.”

“Would they still be up to par if one or two transfer out?”

“They do have three lieutenants.”

Lucas cleared his throat, effectively gaining everyone’s attention. “Nobody is being forced out of their station. We’ll find a way to get enough money to help them through the year.”

“Unless something else drastic happens to them or their station,” someone mumbled.

Lucas swallowed the fear that crept in at that thought. He stated, “Nineteen is the best station we’ve got. Find a way to keep it up and running as is.”

And with that the meeting ended. Lucas avoided getting sucked into the idle chitchat that always happened after the meetings. He hurried back to his office with his head down, not wanting to meet anyone’s gaze. He needed to get himself back under control before he was ready to be civil again.

Back in his office, Lucas closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing. He kept telling himself he stood up for Nineteen because they all deserved it. Nothing he said was because of it being Vic’s station. He would not give her or her team special treatment. Except letting Bishop stay, of course. But that had nothing to do with her being Vic’s friend. At least, that’s what he repeated to himself since the moment he approved the request.


	5. Chapter 5

“Hughes, I need to speak with you, privately,” Sullivan announced just after finishing assignments. Vic exchanged looks with Travis and followed the Captain out of the barn. They went into his office, and he instructed, “Shut the door and have a seat.”

She did and waited. Was he going to fire her? Just suspend her? Was she being transferred to another department? He’d said he would protect her, but if Lucas pulled rank, would he have a choice? Vic cleared her throat and asked, “What do you need to speak to me about?”

He leaned back in his chair. Either it wasn’t a formal reprimand, or he wanted to soften the blow. But then he inquired, “What’s going on with Luke? We were supposed to go for beers a couple times this week, but he keeps bailing on me.”

Vic sighed. Apparently Lucas hadn’t turned to his best friend. But then, why would he? It’s not like he didn’t expect them to end. Maybe not before the wedding, but he’d known there would be an end date from the beginning.

“Is everything okay with you two?” Sullivan questioned. An unexpected sob momentarily choked her. She placed a fist against her lips, vowing not to cry in front of her boss. He picked up on it anyway and sat forward. “What happened?”

“We,” she started, sucked in a breath, and tried again. “We broke up.”

Sullivan surprised would have been comical if Vic’s heart wasn’t breaking all over again. “Why?”

He was the last person she wanted to talk to about it, but she couldn’t exactly walk out of her captain’s office. She sighed. “I found out he doesn’t really love me. I’m not even sure he knows what love feels like.”

“Of course he does,” Sullivan declared so vehemently Vic’s gaze snapped to his. “Luke is more in love with you than I’ve ever seen. He wouldn’t have taken a chance if he wasn’t.”

“I’m not going to ruin his career,” Vic assured him.

He shook his head. “I’m not talking about his career.”

“Then what chance did he take?”

“A chance on having his heart ripped out again.”

Vic waved a hand. “You mean the first two or so wives? I’m sure his heart is fine.”

Sullivan lowered his voice, “What did he tell you about them?”

“Nothing.”

“Then how did you find out?”

Vic rolled her eyes. “Travis overheard you two talking about his little game and told me everything.”

Sullivan’s eyes narrowed. “Luke doesn’t play games. He never has and never will. Those two women left him so broken it took him sixteen years to let himself fall in love again. And trust me, he fought to not let it happen with you.”

Vic gasped. Her eyes burned. It seemed everybody was turning against her. She stood, not really caring anymore that he was her boss. He wouldn’t be for long.

“Sit down, Hughes,” he commanded. She ignored him and moved toward the door. Her hand touched the handle just as he spoke more gently, “Vic, please sit down.”

The use of her first name grabbed her attention. She faced him but didn’t go back to the chair. And she didn’t say anything. There was nothing for her to say that couldn’t go in her resignation letter. So she waited, managing to keep her emotions in check.

He pressed his fingers to his forehead a moment. When he finally talked, his voice was deadly serious. “Luke’s first wife left him the day we graduated from the academy because she didn’t want to be married to a firefighter. His second wife couldn’t handle not having him all to herself. There has been no one that he let close since. He dedicated his life to his career. To climbing the ranks. It was all he had.”

“You weren’t here. How do you know there hasn’t been others?” Vic asked, trying not to show how much his information affected her.

“Because he told me when he informed me of your engagement,” he replied. He held her gaze as she processed everything. Could he be right? Was it possible Lucas actually loved her like he claimed?  
But still…

“He didn’t fight for us. He just gave up and walked out.”

Sullivan tilted his head as if considering his friend’s actions. “Don’t expect him to. He’s probably having flashbacks and dealing with the pain all over again.”

Vic deflated and sat once again. “What do I do? How do I fix it?”

“Let me talk to him,” Sullivan suggested. “When he’s ready to face it, you two can work things out.”

“What makes you so sure we can?”

Sullivan smiled for the first time in the entire conversation. “You’re the first woman he’s ever put before his job.”


	6. Chapter 6

Boxes were stacked everywhere. Some were full and taped shut. Some were empty or only had a few items inside. Lucas had already taken out two bags of trash. He should have cleaned out his house years ago. He grabbed the next bag and was on his way to the bin in the garage when the doorbell rang.

His fake smile disappeared completely when he opened the door. “Sully? What are you doing here?”

“You’re apparently too busy to go out for beer, so I brought some to you,” Sully replied, holding up a pack of their chosen brew.

Lucas studied the beer, then his friend. He turned and walked back into the house. “Put it in the fridge while I take this out.”

His thoughts raced as he tossed the trash bag into the bin. Sully hadn’t been to his house in over fifteen years. Sure, they were mending their friendship. But Lucas felt something else was going on with this visit. He braced himself as he reentered the kitchen.

Sully handed him an opened bottle and sipped from another. He leaned back against the counter and asked, “Are you finally moving out of this cursed place?”

Lucas attempted to act casually as he answered, “I am. It’s time to find a new place, start over.”

“You mean with Vic?” Sully inquired so gently Lucas knew immediately that was his reason for being there.

He set his beer down before he broke it. “I think you know the answer to that already.”

“I do,” Sully admitted. “Do you?”

“I’m not giving her another chance. It will just end up the way it always does for me,” Lucas stated.

Sully shook his head. “That’s not true. And I think you know it.”

Lucas threw a hand out. “She already packed a bag and left me. We just never made it to the part where lawyers and paperwork are needed.”

“What makes you so sure she was leaving you? Did she say that?”

“She didn’t have to. I know what it looks like.”

“You don’t think you jumped to a few conclusions because of that?”

Lucas downed half of his beer, set the bottle down, and walked out of the kitchen. He went back to the den and began packing things again. Sully appeared next to him and silently helped. It went on for several minutes before Lucas caved. He placed an empty picture frame in the box and gripped the edges with both hands, his elbows locked.

“I can’t go through it again, Sully. It was hard before, but this time…I’m not sure I can ever get over her,” he admitted, glad he had someone he could say it to.

Sully set a wrapped crystal figurine of the Space Needle inside the box. Then he fully faced Lucas and told him, “This time it’s real. Maybe the first two were preparing you, or maybe you were just impatient. I don’t know. But this time, you are in it for good. There is no moving on.”

“That’s just what I want to hear,” Lucas mumbled and reached for another frame.

His friend sighed. Then he switched tactics. “You need to talk to her. She’s confused and hurt and scared.”

“So am I.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s why you two need to communicate. If you can’t figure that part out, then love won’t be nearly enough to keep you both from being miserable,” Sully pointed out.

Lucas let out his own sigh. “I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

“Maybe with a bit of your background?” Sully suggested. “How is it you two are engaged, and yet she didn’t know you’ve been married before?”

“It never came up,” Lucas told him with a shrug.

Sully laughed without humor. “It should. Do you even know each other?”

“I answer every one of her questions as honestly as possible. And I know enough about her to be completely in love with her.,” Lucas explained.

“Seriously, you need to sit down and have a conversation with her. Get to know each other. Marriage will not work unless you can do that,” Sully informed him.

“Maybe that’s why the first two fell apart,” Lucas muttered.

Sully shook his head with a chuckle. “You think?”

“I always said you were better at the whole marriage thing than me.”

“It doesn’t always have to be that way, though. It’s about time you got something real,” Sully declared. He paused a moment and then added, “Why don’t you go talk to her now?”

“I don’t know where she is, and she isn’t responding to my messages or calls,” Lucas admitted with defeat. He wished he could talk to her, find out if they could make it work.

“She’s at home.”

Lucas stared at his friend. “How do you know? She’s been staying with Travis.”

Sully smiled. “Because I told her to go home and wait for you.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because she loves you as much as you love her,” he stated. Lucas’s heart leapt in his chest. If she was really waiting on him, then maybe they could make it work. He headed to change his clothes but stopped at the doorway and turned. Sully nodded once. “Go. I’ll see myself out.”

“Thank you. For everything,” Lucas told him. Then he dashed toward his bedroom. He should probably have taken a shower and washed off all the dust he’d stirred up. But he was in a hurry. He didn’t want to wait any longer to see her, talk to her. He didn’t want to make her think he didn’t want forever with her.


	7. Chapter 7

Waiting is nothing but torture. That’s what Vic decided while sitting in her apartment, waiting to find out if Sullivan could talk Lucas into giving her another chance. They’d made a plan in his office. She would go home so Lucas would know where to find her if he changed his mind. And Sullivan would go try to make that happen. Either Lucas would show up so they could talk, or Sullivan would let her know she needed to start moving on.

She spent part of the time unpacking the bag she’d taken to Travis’s. No matter what happened, she needed to go home. So she put everything away. Then she watched a movie, and tried to read a book. Tossing the book aside, she picked up her phone.

And someone knocked on her front door. Vic froze. Her heart tried to escape through her throat. Could it really be? Could Sullivan’s plan have worked? Was Lucas standing on the other side of the door, willing to talk? She pushed herself up off the sofa and hesitantly approached the door.

Her entire chest seized up at the sight that met her. Lucas stood before her looking more miserable than she felt. His t-shirt was wrinkled, his hair mussed. The smile on his lips didn’t reach his sad eyes. His voice was weak, vulnerable, when he said, “Hi.”

“Hi,” she responded, leaning against the open door.  
He slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Can I come in?”

Vic felt the vice around her heart loosen a bit. She nodded and stepped back. “Sure.”

They stopped just inside, and he closed the door. They stared at each other. Vic could see the same pain she felt reflected back at her. As hurt and betrayed as she’d been, she did the same to him. Guilt squeezed her. They needed to talk, to be truthful.

“I’m sorry,” they ended up saying at the same time. And the tension was broken.

Vic let out a quick breath. “I overreacted. I panicked. I’m so sorry for hurting you.”

“I’m sorry, too,” he told her. “For not telling you about my past. For walking out. For being an idiot.”

“We need to talk,” she pointed out.

He nodded. “We do.”

They moved to the sofa but sat with distance between them. Vic resisted the urge to close the gap. She wasn’t entirely sure it would be welcome. Just because he showed up and wanted to talk didn’t mean he still wanted her. She had no idea what Sullivan told him. Or how Lucas felt. He could be there simply to clear the air and tell her to move on.

“Vic, I’m not really sure where to start. I’ve screwed up. I’m-” he sighed and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry you found out what you did, how you did.”

And her hopes fell once again. He really was ending it for good. But she at least deserved to hear the truth. She spoke barely above a whisper, afraid of what his response would be. “So is it all true then? The two marriages. Neither lasting a year.”

“Yes,” he admitted.

Vic swallowed her emotions. She just needed to make it through this one conversation. “Tell me what your plan was.”

“What plan?”

“Your plan for me. How long was I going to get?”

Because she forced herself to hold his gaze while she asked, Vic saw the flash of deeper pain before it was replaced by disbelief. He shook his head, breaking eye contact. “Sully was wrong. You don’t actually want to fix this, do you?”

“Do you?”

He met her gaze again. “Of course I do. Vic, you asked how long? I want to give you forever. But I’m not going to force you into something you don’t really want.”

“What I want is you. But I don’t want to fall for some kind of game.”

“I’m not playing a game, Vic. I would never do that to anyone, especially you,” he stated.

Vic stood and paced, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. It didn’t make sense. They were going in circles. She faced him but kept her head down. “Why do you want to marry me?”

He answered immediately, “Because I’m in love with you.”

She looked up. “But you loved them, too.”

That reply came a little slower. “I thought I did. But now I know that I really didn’t.”

“Why do you say that?”

He stared directly into her eyes as he told her, “Because I never even thought about giving something up for them.”

She already knew that. “You aren’t giving anything up for me, either. You literally suggested marriage so we don’t lose our jobs.”

“That’s how I put it, yes,” he confessed. “But it was never just about our jobs. Not for me.”

“I don’t-”

He stood, and she cut herself off as she watched him walk closer. He took both of her hands in his. “Vic, I’ve loved you since that first time I came here with you. I wouldn’t have risked the possible consequences if I didn’t already feel strongly for you.”

“So, what…” she trailed off, not really knowing what to ask.

Lucas smiled a small, weak smile. “I fell hard and fast for you. I’ve willingly risked losing my job just to be with you. I don’t want to marry you just to save my career. I want to marry you because I don’t want to risk ever losing you.”


	8. Chapter 8

Vic’s eyes widened a second before she launched herself at Lucas. He stumbled as he caught her, his arms going around her back to keep her from falling. She pressed her lips to his. He was so shocked that he didn’t respond at first. But then he slid his hands up to her neck and opened his mouth to suck on her lip.

She moaned. Her fingers slipped into his hair and tugged him impossibly closer. Lucas moved his hands down to her lower back so he could press their bodies together. He’d missed this. Kissing her, touching her. It was his favorite thing to do. But they really needed to talk.

He reluctantly let go of her and forced himself to step back. The look she gave him was a mixture of passion, confusion, and a hint of hurt. Lucas grasped her hand to reconnect, assuring her that he hadn’t pulled away easily. He cleared his throat before saying, “We need to actually talk. No distractions.”

“I know,” she sighed. “Let’s sit at the table.”

Lucas nodded and followed her to the kitchen. She poured two glasses of water, and they sat with the table between them. He placed his fingertips against his glass and stared at the liquid as he began, “I married my first wife young, before either of us knew what we wanted to do with our lives. Turns out she wanted to be a high-end lawyer and live a fancy lifestyle while I made a career in firefighting.”

“I can see how that wouldn’t work very well,” Vic commented.

Lucas laughed shortly. “We fought the entire time I was in the academy. Her graduation present for me was divorce papers.”

“That’s a bit harsh.”

“Maybe. I should’ve seen it coming, though.”

Vic shifted in her seat. “But still, she could’ve at least let you have that one happy day.”

He shrugged and drank some of his water. Then he moved on. “My second marriage was a few years later. I’d already decided I wanted to climb the department ladder. She was okay with that. Even encouraged it.”

“So what went wrong then?” she pressed when he hesitated.

Lucas pushed down the guilt he’d always felt about his part in that ending. “She tried to be supportive, but apparently I didn’t give enough of my time to her. My schedule didn’t suit her need to always have me around. Her friends called me her part-time husband.”

“Ouch.”

“It didn’t really bother me. I never got along with any of her friends anyway,” he told her. He lifted the glass again but didn’t drink. “I guess I’m partly to blame for that one. I didn’t make her a priority.”

He downed most of the liquid and set the glass down. Then he finally met Vic’s eyes. What he saw both warmed his heart and saddened him. Sympathy reflected in the deep brown depths. She reached a hand toward him. He grasped it, glad to have that connection.

“I’m sorry, Lucas. For believing something about you without checking with you first,” she confessed.

“It’s okay. I know how it looks.”

She shook her head. “I should have trusted you.”

“Not telling you about my history was a mistake, Vic. I don’t blame you for thinking the worst,” he assured her.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

If only he knew that answer. “I don’t know. I guess I’m just ashamed of that part of my life. You’re the first person I’ve talked to about it, to be honest.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Silence settled around them. Minutes passed before Vic broke it by quietly asking, “So what does this mean for us?”

Lucas sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Well, obviously you don’t have a problem with my job.”

“Except for the whole outranking me thing, you mean?”

He chuckled. “Yeah, except that. But that won’t matter once we – if we get married.”

“If?” she asked, her voice uncertain.

Lucas squeezed her hand. “If you still want to marry me.”

She paused a moment. He waited, not wanting to pressure her. When she did speak, it was to inquire, “Do you love me?”

“More than I ever thought possible,” he answered honestly.

Vic smiled. “For the record, I love you, too.”

“I’m glad,” he replied with a smile of his own. “So, does that mean we’re still getting married?”

“I think so,” she said, wrinkling her nose in the way that always made him want to kiss her. So he stood, rounded the table, and did just that.

His lips had barely touched hers when he pulled back and looked into her eyes. “To be clear, we’re done talking, right?”

“Yes,” she breathed out. Lucas attacked her lips. Their hands skimmed over each other as he pulled her up from her chair. Rather than standing, she lifted her legs to wrap around his waist. His hands held her hips as he turned and walked to the bedroom.


	9. Chapter 9

Vic and Lucas walked into the station with their fingers linked. They’d spent the last two days inseparable. And it wasn’t just sex – though there was definitely some of that. They also talked. A lot. About their families, their past, their future dreams. Lucas told her about buying his house and deciding to sell it. The second day, they talked while packing up more of his stuff.

Vic admitted she’d never thought about having children but would be open either way. Lucas agreed that they could just wait and see what happens. He planned to put the money back from selling his house so they could save for one of their own. For a while, they were both happy to live in her apartment. It was their original “place,” after all.

“Well, don’t you two look all happy and in love,” Sullivan commented from the doorway of his office.

Vic shared a smile with Lucas. Then she looked at her captain and told him, “We are. Thanks to you.”

Sullivan chuckled. “I just pointed out the problem. The rest was all up to you to fix.”

“Well, it worked,” Lucas said. “We have a plan and agree on every part of it. Except the wedding, that is.”

“I told you, I am not planning a fancy ceremony,” Vic argued. “Just your family and mine and an officiant. I’d even be happy with it being at the courthouse, but no. You haven’t had enough weddings, apparently.”

“I haven’t had one with you,” Lucas grinned. “And I told you, I’m fine with a small ceremony as long as you wear a dress.”

Vic rolled her eyes. “Only if I can find a cheap, simple one that I’ll wear after.”

“Isn’t the whole point in a wedding dress to only wear it once?” Sullivan asked.

“For some women, yes,” Vic explained. “But some of us are more sensible than that.”

The sound of footsteps on the stairs caught their attention. Travis appeared and greeted, “Oh, hey, Vic! And…Chief?”

Vic lifted her hand joined with Lucas’s. “Everything is good, Trav. No reason to worry.”

“I want you to know that I will never intentionally hurt her, and I do plan to spend the rest of my life with her,” Lucas told him before he had a chance to respond to her.

Travis hesitated, glanced between them, and nodded. “I’ll accept that. And I’m sorry for, uh, what I said. To her. About you. It was…unfair.”

“Apology accepted,” Lucas replied. Then he kissed Vic’s cheek and added, “I should go. I have a meeting in an hour that I still need to prep for.”

“Have fun with that,” Vic teased. He just rolled his eyes, nodded toward the other two, and left. She turned to her best friend and looped her arm through his. “Come on, Trav. We have a quick, simple wedding to throw together.”

“After you do your chores!” Sullivan called out as Vic led Travis back up the stairs.

She smiled over her shoulder. “Of course, Captain.”

He shook his head and disappeared into his office. Vic looked back at Travis just as he asked, “So you two worked everything out then?”

“Yep.”

“What about the other two…wives?”

Vic shrugged. “He was young and stupid. They couldn’t handle him making a career out of fighting fires. Clearly that’s not a problem for me, so we’re good to go.”

Travis paused just outside the door to the beanery. “So you’re okay with his past, then.”

“It’s in the past. We’re in the present, and we’re planning a future,” she told him. “Can you be happy about it?”

He smiled and put his arm around her shoulders. “I’m happy as long as you’re happy. By the way, I know he just promised to never hurt you. But if he ever does, I won’t care that he’s the boss.”

Vic shook her head but kept smiling. “I don’t think you need to worry about that. But thanks for looking out for me.”

“Anything for my best friend,” Travis responded. He opened the door and ushered Vic through. The rest of the team greeted them, commenting on Vic smiling again. She explained what happened using only vague information. While they were her friends, her family, Lucas was still their boss. They didn’t need to know about his past. They only needed to be concerned about his future. With her.


	10. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little over a year in the future

Vic’s eyelids blinked open, and Lucas smiled. He waited until her eyes met his before leaning over and pressing his lips to hers. “Good morning, beautiful.”

“Mmm, good morning,” she moaned out as she stretched. Then she narrowed her gaze. “Why were you watching me sleep? And more importantly, how are you awake already?”

Lucas chuckled and rested a hand on her hip. “Today is an important day. I didn’t want to miss it.”

“Why is today an important day? I thought that was yesterday.” Vic ran her fingers over his chest, directly over his heart.

“Yesterday was important, too. But today is even better.”

Her fingers stopped moving, and she gave him a confused look. “You’re being way too vague for my exhausted brain to follow.”

Lucas kissed her temple. “Are you regretting what we did last night?”

“No,” she mumbled against his chest. “Maybe just how many times we did it.”

“So does that mean we won’t today?”

Vic hesitated but then slid her arms around him. “Do you really think we’d make it all day without?”

He pulled her tight against him. “Maybe a couple of hours.”

She laughed softly. Then she lifted her head to look at him. “You haven’t distracted me from your nonanswers about today.”

“I wasn’t trying to,” he admitted.

“Then tell me why the day after our anniversary is more important than the actual date,” she requested.

Lucas’s grin widened. “Because it means we made it.”

“Made what?” she asked. He simply smiled at her, his gaze never wavering from hers. It took a while for her brain to work out what he meant. But when she did, her entire face lit up. She tugged out of his arms and sat up, bracing herself with one arm. “It’s been over a year since our wedding.”

“It’s been more than a year,” he repeated as he sat up as well. His hands grasped her neck, and their lips crashed together. They’d made it. Their marriage was officially his longest. And they were still so in love that they barely even fought. They argued, and Lucas took full responsibility for every single one. He couldn’t help that he knew how to rile her up, or that he fell in love all over again whenever she yelled at him.

A phone going off interrupted their celebration before they got too carried away. Lucas rolled over and grabbed his phone from the nightstand. He read the message from Sully and laughed so hard Vic asked, “What is it?”

He just turned the screen so she could read the simple question, “Still married?”

She met his gaze and gave him a smile full of love. “Looks like third time's the charm.”

Lucas just kissed her. This time they were interrupted by his stomach growling. They broke apart laughing. He turned and swung his feet off the bed. “I’ll go see what I can fix for breakfast.”

“I’ll come help in a minute,” she told him. Lucas leaned back for one more kiss before forcing himself to stand up. He slipped on a pair of shorts and headed for the kitchen. Glancing through the food available, he decided to go with veggie omelets.

He slid the second omelet onto a plate before he realized Vic still hadn’t come out of the bedroom. Leaving the food on the counter, he went in search of his wife. She wasn’t in bed, but the light was on in the bathroom. Lucas stepped into the small room and found Vic sitting on the edge of the tub, staring toward the sink.

“What’s wrong, Vic?”

She lifted her gaze to his, her expression blank. Rather than speaking, she pointed at the sink. Lucas glanced over and saw a piece of plastic laying on the counter. He looked back at her, his unspoken question in his eyes. Vic sucked in a deep breath and finally said, “Looks like we’re starting the next stage of our relationship.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So like I said at the beginning, I had all but the last chapter finished before the Crossover aired. Then my personal life crumbled about the same time Vic's did. It's taken me this long to force out the last chapter and get it posted.  
> As I told some of you, I've lost my motivation to write. I'm focused on getting my life back together as much as it can. I am working on it, and I'm also trying to get through my writer's funk. I am no longer saying never, but this will be my last post for a while. Thank you to everyone who reads, likes, and comments on my fics. It helps more than you know.


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